This Sunday, 8 March, is International Women’s Day. Is the Tánaiste in any way embarrassed that, after four years of her Government’s tenure, not only has she not lifted a finger in key areas of women's rights crying out for vindication, but now her austerity policies are causing immense suffering for women on low and middle incomes, especially for women dependent on social welfare payments for which her ministry is directly responsible?

How does the Tánaiste feel that last summer the United Nations, a conservative body, had to call out the Government for its ongoing maintenance of the eighth amendment of the Constitution? It said the abortion ban and the Government’s pathetic Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act was a breach of civil and political rights and that women in Ireland were being effectively treated as vessels.

The United Nations particularly mentioned the disgrace of fatal foetal abnormalities. Last month, however, the Tánaiste trooped into this Chamber, along with other Labour Party Deputies, and voted down a Bill that could have dealt with that. Apparently that hypocrisy is acceptable because last weekend at the Labour Party conference, the Tánaiste suddenly decided to promise a referendum on this issue whenever the Labour Party gets into government at some stage in the future. Given that is not likely to happen in any way, shape or form at any time soon, why does she not salvage something out of this Government for the Labour Party and hold a referendum to repeal the eighth amendment along with the other referenda she is planning in the remaining lifetime of the Government?

Will the Tánaiste deal in particular with the growing problem of the feminisation of poverty which has accelerated under her Government? Women have been traditionally lower paid and on lower incomes. As Minister for Social Protection, the Tánaiste has swung her axe on women in a shocking way. Her cuts to child benefit broke an election pledge, taking hundreds of euro out of the pockets of women and their families. For some inexplicable reason, however, she has singled out the poorest women and lone parents for particular attack. Her cuts to one-parent social welfare payments are nothing short of Thatcherite and have been condemned by Barnardos and countless other groups.

How many questions, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle?

The truth hurts. This is not talking down the clock like some do opposite.

Does Deputy Finian McGrath agree with the eighth amendment?

I have spoken against it many times.

The Tánaiste's rent allowance cuts are making hundreds of women homeless each week. Last year, on International Women’s Day, she made a speech saying we need more women leaders in all areas of life and that far too few women are in the room when crucial decisions are made. Why, when the Tánaiste is in the room and as the most powerful woman in politics in this country, are these cuts happening to women? She also told women to do one thing every day that scares them. They are doing things every day of which they are terrified thanks to the Tánaiste’s cuts, making their lives a misery as a result.

Does the Deputy have a question?

I know where I will be spending International Women’s Day. I will be at a rally at the Spire organised by the ROSA group, Reproductive rights, against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity and Real-Productive Health. Where will the Tánaiste be? Two years ago, she spent International Women’s Day with Christine Lagarde, the well-heeled head of the IMF, which has plunged millions of people, especially women, into poverty.

She has great time for women.

Will the Tánaiste agree it is a far cry from the labour movement tradition which started International Women’s Day? It was begun by garment workers in 1909 in the US-----

As a celebration.

-----and carried on by German socialists.

Will the Tánaiste celebrate International Women’s Day by calling off her economic war on women?

Question No. 7 now.

Will she hold a referendum to repeal the eighth amendment, so badly needed by women?

And now the intermission.

"No". "No". "No".

The women who are my heroes are the women who look after their families-----

Christine Lagarde.

-----and their parents, who go out to work and make a life for themselves, their partners and their children. There is a saying in Swahili that women hold up half of the sky.

What about the single-parent family payments in yesterday's social welfare Bill?

I do not know if Deputy Coppinger has ever had an opportunity to be aware that in terms of women’s responsibilities in this world, the women who every day look after their families, their partners, their children and their elder parents should be all of our heroes. For those of us who are elected to politics as women, it is an enormous privilege to serve. I do hope to see a higher number of women participating in politics. That is part of the development of democratic societies and is to be welcomed, including the Deputy’s own presence in this House.

The Deputy had a parliamentary question on the social welfare system earlier this morning. As I told her then, in the studies carried out by the ESRI and published several months ago, women benefit slightly more from our social welfare system.

That is not correct.

If the Deputy thinks about it, she will realise why. Notwithstanding all the work and contribution that women make, statistically they live longer than men by a couple of years. From the €6.7 billion that will be spent on pensions by the State this year, a slightly greater proportion of that will go to women than to men, particularly for those on a State contributory pension or a non-contributory pension.

I am sure the Deputy would endorse that.

The ESRI study, which I went through in detail this morning although the Deputy quibbled a little, comes from a recognised research institution. The study showed that women do slightly better. Many women are in a household with two adults, a man and a woman, and household income is distributed evenly. The ESRI therefore found that there was no measurable difference between women and men.

Regarding Deputy Coppinger's third point on changes to the lone parent payment, my objective is to help people get into work on either a part-time or a full-time basis. The way to do that and to get a well-paying job is to get access to opportunity in terms of education, training and work experience. We have had a tradition of leaving people welfare-dependent for 18 to 22 years, going back to the early 1970s when the first payments for lone parents were introduced.

Is this a speech?

We are changing the rules to allow people to combine getting a social welfare income or family income support or the new back to work family allowance----

Deputy McGrath should listen, he might learn something.

The Tánaiste should answer the question. Are working women in poverty, yes or no? CSO statistics say they are.

----which will give any lone parent going back to work an extra €30 per week per child. As the studies in respect of this year's budget show, we have also increased child benefit for every child by €5 a month. I am happy to say that as Tánaiste, I have prioritised getting people back to work because when people get some work, part time or full time, their at risk of poverty rate falls by well over 60%. The best way out of poverty is getting a job, an education and opportunities in life and I have never made a secret of the fact that this is at the heart of the Labour Party's policies.

What about fatal foetal abnormalities?

Thank you, Tánaiste. Supplementary questions and replies are of one minute's duration.